A Destiny 2 API outage, which the Bungie team induced after noting an increase in disconnects in the aftermath of the Spire of the Watcher dungeon launch, shows how much players depend on the game’s third-party app ecosystem to make the most of their experience.
The popular FPS game‘s flexible API ecosystem allows players to track everything from competitive Crucible stats to weapon god rolls. Tools like Destiny Item Manager let players manage their builds and loadouts. Bungie’s own Destiny 2 Companion App lets players pick up bounties and pull items from their vaults without heading to The Tower or elsewhere to handle these tasks in the game.
The issues arose when players complained about disconnects while trying to complete the Spire of the Watcher dungeon after its release December 9. Upon investigating, Bungie concluded the game’s API, an acronym for application programming interface, needed to be taken offline to address the source of the problem and did so immediately. At the time, the official Bungie Help Twitter account noted, “Destiny Companion features will remain unavailable on web, mobile, and third-party apps throughout the weekend,” and “Bungie Rewards from @BungieStore are not purchasable” during the outage.
The missing API caused some frustration among members of the Destiny 2 community, who rely on these sites and apps for critical information impacting how they play the game. The API’s downtime quickly led to memes that shared the sentiment.
We are nothing without the API pic.twitter.com/rilZSC881U
— Benj (@Benjjjyy) December 12, 2022
There are numerous aspects of Destiny 2 that players like to track, including weapon stats, Triumphs, PvP performance, and character builds. Third-party sites and apps render many of these things easier to navigate. It’s easy to see how an offline API could negatively impact players’ gaming experience.
However, some apps’ utility has led players to question why they can’t find certain features within the game itself. It’s something Bungie has also taken to heart, as the team announced that in 2023, it would launch a feature that saves favourite loadouts. This means players should no longer struggle in a routine encounter simply because they needed to equip a specific mod.
Although Bungie projects it will resolve the API issue today, it’s unclear whether the downtime could also require changes on the third-party developers’ end. However, the error codes should cease and make playing the dungeon a better experience.
If you’re just getting caught up on what’s new in Destiny 2, check out our Destiny 2 season 19 guide and information on the Destiny 2 Lightfall release date to see what’s coming to our favourite space game in the New Year.